


The Fallen One

by TheObscure



Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Angels, Demons, F/M, Fallen Angels, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Torture, Religious Conflict, Religious Content, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Renaissance Era, Sexual Content, Supernatural Elements, Triggers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2020-06-28 09:07:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19809148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheObscure/pseuds/TheObscure
Summary: Italy, 1630. Plague ravaged the entire country, the political and religious state was close to collapse and nightmares tormented you each night. You were finding yourself straying further from the path your family had planned for you more and more with each day. Just as you begin to think this must be the life for you, you encounter a stranger who shows you a new path.





	1. Chapter 1

Italy, 1630

A cold chill blew through your room through the open window, causing small bumps to rise to the surface of your arms. You sat up in bed with a groan, squinting to see as you looked around your dark room, however upon seeing nothing, you laid back down and closed your eyes once again. Soon after, there it was again. That scratching noise, the sound of long nails being dragged down the wood on your closet in the darkest corner of your room. You slowly sat up in bed once again and lit the candle on your beside table, holding it in front of you as far as you felt brave enough. The scratching continued, your breath grew heavier and deeper as you continued to listen to the sound. Suddenly, it stopped. You gently pulled back your cover and climbed from the bed, gasping a little when the bare soles of your feet touched the cold tiled floor. With the candle held out in front of you, you slowly made your way towards the corner of your room. You closed your eyes, took a deep breath and quickly flung the door to your closet open, moving the dresses inside away to check the back, yet you found nothing. The noise had been happening for months now and you still had no idea what was causing it, with a deep sigh, you closed the door once again and chuckled to yourself a little before you blew out the candle and returned to bed. ~~~ You held the old, tattered Bible in your hands, following the line with your eyes as the Father spoke at the front of the church. Beside you, your Father whispered the prayer to himself, not even requiring to read the words. Somewhere near the back of the hall, you could hear women whispering gossip amongst themselves, something in particular stood out to you. "He looks strange." One of the women whispered to the other, who merely hummed in agreement. "Maria says he passed the church only yesterday and a Sister fainted merely at the sight of him." "Well, if he is that handsome then I wish to meet him." The woman replied before they both tried to stifle their laughter. You smiled to yourself and shook your head at the sound of the women, however the smile soon fell from your face when you noticed your Father grow agitated by their noise. He sighed deeply through his nostrils and simply turned to shoot them a glare over his shoulder- a glare you knew all too well yourself. It was a glare that could 'place fear into the heart of the Devil himself', your Mother had often said. When the sermon ended, you left the Church behind your Father and Mother, keeping your eyes locked on the ground as you overheard him complaining about the women to your Mother. "That's all we need. Another foreign stranger causing trouble, interfering in our affairs." He muttered, which only caused you to silently roll your eyes. The market square was busy that day, people rushing to buy the latest arrivals in fish and vegetables from over seas. You stopped for a brief moment to admire a flower stall, smiling as the sweet, floral aromas filled your senses. Just then, you felt drawn to look to your left- back to the church. As you did, you felt your head begin to spin when you saw a man clad in a black robe, a cardinal's hat sat atop his head and his piercing eyes were locked onto yours instantly. You found yourself unable to look away from the man, your heart began to race in your chest and there was a loud ringing in your ears. "What are you doing, girl? Keep up!" Your father shouted, causing you to turn and look behind you, nodding briefly to your Father. When you turned to look back at the man, he had gone. You remained on the spot for a few minutes, trying to wonder what had just happened--however, you shook your head and quickly ran to meet your parents once again. 1 Week later You smiled as you placed your book down onto the side of the fountain and looked down into the clear water. The square was not as busy today, the market was closed. The church bells rang loudly and echoed through the quiet air, bringing a sense of calm to you. As you ran your fingertips along the cool water, you hummed a tune to yourself, one that you weren't sure why you knew. A cold breeze suddenly blew past you, causing you to shiver a little. "That is a pretty tune." A voice said behind you, causing you to gasp and turn to look behind you. You went slightly wide eyed when you saw the mysterious man from a week ago standing there. You turned around fully, straightened out your dress and smiled shyly. The man stood taller than you and as he looked down on you, you couldn't help but feel a little intimidated. "What is a young lady like you doing sitting all alone on a day like this? Should you not be enjoying the time with your friends?" You raised one eyebrow, wondering why the man was asking you all these questions, but you simply cleared your throat and answered. "I am supposed to be studying but... I guess I allowed myself to become distracted." You pushed a stray strand of hair behind your ear and smiled a little. The man smiled in return, motioning to the space beside you and sitting there when you nodded. A tremendous cold came from the man, causing you to wonder if he was ill. He picked up your Bible and chuckled a little. "A lady of the Lord, hm?" He remarked, causing you to turn to look at him. The man's slightly wrinkled skin seemed smooth and pale, like porcelain. His dark eyes scanned the leather bound bible cover and his hands ran over it. You couldn't help but find something strangely fascinating about the man. Was he the one the women had been talking about? A string smell of spices came from the man, mixed with a faint whiff of incense. "You seem to be a man of the Lord yourself." You replied, glancing at his robes once again. He turned to look down at you and you noticed his lips curl into a dark smirk which frightened you a little. You quickly looked over your shoulder and back at the water, smiling when you saw a white feather float down and settle on its surface. "Look, there must be an angel near by." The man turned to look at you for a moment before following your eyes to see the feather. He chuckled deeply, causing you to look at him. "You believe a white feather automatically means an angel is here?" He asked, laughing when you nodded. "Well.. Tell me, do you see an angel here now?" You both looked around the square and you finally shook your head, causing him to laugh. You noticed a dark twinkle in his eye as he laughed, yet you felt intrigued when you looked at him. "Why do you believe this?" "Well, when I was a child my Mother taught me that when I saw a white feather, it had fallen from my guardian angel's wing. So that must mean he is nearby, watching over me." You replied, you waited to hear the man laughing, however when you looked over at him he was merely sat smiling at you, holding the bible in his hands. When he sighed deeply and looked down at the book, he passed it back to you and bowed his head slightly, pressing a kiss to the back of your hand as he did so. "Your Mother sounds like a wise woman. Very wise indeed." He commented, you simply smiled and nodded as you felt a heat rise to your cheeks and the ringing sound returned to your ears. When the church bell loudly rang once again, you looked up at the large bell that over looked the square and turned to look back at the man when he stood from the fountain. "It was a pleasure to speak to you, Miss. I am sure we will meet again." You smiled and nodded to the man and watched him as he started to walk away. Before you could stop yourself, you stood and called out to him. "Hey... What's your name?" You called, causing him to turn around with a small smile. For a moment, he hesitated and looked down at the floor, before he looked back at you and replied. "Copia. My name is Copia."


	2. Chapter 2

A cold, dry hand trailed down your neck, the long nails dragging across your arteries and voice box before digging ever so slightly into the skin. A pair of cold, dry lips kissed down the side of your neck whilst the hand dragged down your chest and something warm and smooth brushed against your bare thighs and stomach. You gasped when the long nails dug further into your skin and screamed a little when you felt them pierce the skin. You sat up in bed with a loud gasp, instantly moving your hand to your neck to check for blood. However, all you found was your skin covered in a thin sheet of freezing cold sweat. You lit the candle beside your bed and looked around your room, finding yourself alone: as always. You pulled back the covers and walked to your open window, looking out onto the field behind your house. As you listened to the early morning nature waking up, the small stream flowing and birds chirping- you raised one eyebrow when you heard something unusual. You searched around for as far as you could see, looking for the origin of the sound and, when you found it, you gasped. Copia was standing in the middle of the field, holding a flute to his mouth and playing a familiar tune. Without grabbing the candle, you quickly ran down the stairs and outside, shivering against the early morning chill and cold ground against your bare feet. When you reached Copia, he stopped playing and simply smiled to you.

"What are you doing here? It's dawn!" You whispered to him, afraid of waking up your Mother and Father. Copia remained silent as he looked at you, placing the flute into a pocket and holding out his hand to you. You looked at him with one eyebrow raised and suddenly a strong gust of wind blew past you, causing your night dress to billow around your legs. "Copia?"

"Take my hand." Was all he whispered to you, when you reached out to take his hand, a loud crack of thunder rumbled in the sky, causing you to gasp and look up to see an almost black sky gathering above you.

"What do think you're doing?!" You heard your Father shout, causing you to turn around and suddenly everything was normal. The sky was back to the normal pastel pink colour and Copia had vanished. "Get back inside!" After taking one last look around, you sighed deeply and ran to meet your Father, avoiding his gaze as you returned to your room. The dreams about the strange creature continued for weeks. You also dreamt about Copia some nights, though you had not seen him since you first met him. You were knelt in front of the altar within the Church, on the commands of your Father, who had noticed your strange and somewhat erratic behaviour and told you to pray to the Lord for whatever sin you had committed. Although you knew you had done nothing wrong, you followed his commands through fear of him. You had chosen a time of day when the church was silent- so much so you would think it had been abandoned. The occasional door slamming could be heard in the distance, perhaps one of the Sisters of the Father moving around the halls. As you knelt there, with your eyes closed, hands clasped together in prayer, you wondered what you were doing. Your faith had not been strong for some years, in fact it had dwindled somewhat. When you were a teenager, your friend had died. At her funeral you couldn't help but wonder why God was so cruel to take her at such a young age with no other description than 'It was her time to return to the Lord.'. You also struggled to understand why he had ravaged the country with illness and disease. With a frustrated sigh, you squeezed your eyes tighter and tightened your hands grip on each other. "I know that sound." You heard a voice say behind you, startling with and causing you to fall forwards with a gasp. When you turned to look over your shoulder, you sighed deeply when you saw Copia standing there in a black suit and long cape, he was clutching a cane and tipped his broad brimmed hat to you. "Madam." "Why are you sneaking around like that?! You startled me." You replied, dusting your dress and assuming your previous position. He chuckled deeply once again before kneeling beside you, you looked at him from the corner of your eye before you faced the altar once again and closed your eyes. You could feel those eyes on you and it sent a chill down your spine- yet, it was not an unpleasant chill. "That, my dear lady," He began, causing you to sigh deeply as you waited for him to continue. "is the sound of someone who has lost their faith, yet refuses to admit it to themselves." Your eyes shot open and you turned to look at him, a reaction that caused him to laugh once again. "Do not worry about... 'him'." He said, tipping his head towards the sky, causing you to sigh once again. "He cannot hear you. In fact, I doubt he cares. He has enough sheep, does he not?" "What are you saying? You are aware you're in the house of God?" You replied, standing from your knees and dusting them off before you turned to walk away. You heard Copia groan as he stood and the sound of the cane hitting the floor as he followed behind you. "Oh, please! The house of God! It is a building. Do you see him living here?" He asked, you turned to look at him to find him standing with his arms spread wide, searching the hall. "For I do not." With another sigh, you simply turned back around and started to leave the church. "You do that a lot, don't you? Sighing. Are you unhappy?" You ignored his questions as you walked across the square and to the fountain once again, sitting on the edge as you gazed down into the water- watching your own reflection stare right back. After a few moments, Copia's appeared over your shoulder, the rippled water making his already wrinkled face seem distorted. "Am I making you unhappy?" After a moment of silence, you silently shook your head. "You're odd." You commented, hearing him laugh behind you. You turned to face him fully, noticing a small smile was on his lips. "You're a stranger. Where are you from?" With a thoughtful hum, Copia tapped one finger on his chin and gazed at the sky for a moment. Just then, he looked down at you with glazed eyes and a grin. "Say, how about a drink? I will tell you all you wish to know." Copia suggested, you looked around the square, seeing nobody else around. What would your Father do if he knew you were considering this? You were about to refuse when Copia knelt in front of you, placed one hand on your knee and smiled up to you. "You shall be safe. I am no devilish foreigner." You looked down at his gloved hand on your leg and felt a rush of heat to your cheeks. Before you knew what you were doing, you had stood from the fountain and slid your hand into his as he held it out. You remember walking with your hand in his for what seemed like hours, though when you thought back you could not remember where you had walked to. A dark fog seemed to cloud your mind, disguising your surroundings. The fog cleared when a heavy door slammed shut, causing you to gasp and blink. You looked around you, finding yourself standing in what seemed to be an old castle. The walls and floors were stone with deep red fabric hanging from the ceilings, trailing along the floor. On the far wall sat a huge stone fireplace, unlit, but with fire charred logs inside. "Please, make yourself comfortable. Wine?" Copia asked as he strode past you, you merely nodded and took a seat in the large backed chair beside the fireplace. What was this place? Did he truly live here? The smell of smoke and insence hang heavy in the air, filling your senses and causing your head to ache slightly. "For you, Madam." You took the large silver goblet with a smile and took a drink from the wine- it tasted rich and expensive. Copia sat in an identical chair opposite yours and watched you as you examined your surroundings. When your eyes fell on the large portrait above the fireplace, he noticed your eyes widen and mouth fall open. "It is a wonderful piece, is it not? A friend of mine in France did that for me." The portrait was of Copia, dressed in long scarlet robes, standing behind him was an elderly woman and an ancient looking man- who had one hand on Copia's shoulder. "It's...quite something." You replied, taking another drink from your goblet. "Have you travelled a lot?" At this question, Copia laughed a little and swilled his own wine around the goblet before he placed it on a small table to his right. "I suppose you could say that. My work has caused me to do so. I was, however, born here. In Italy. Florence, to be exact." He replied, you raised one eyebrow and took another drink. "When I joined the Missionaries some years ago, I was sent to France to study their ways from the source. Very religious people, the French, you see. From there, I travelled to England and spent some time in London. Horrible place. Nothing but foul smells and even fouler people." This caused you to laugh, which you noticed made Copia smile. "I spent most of my youth travelling between France and London. I spent a small amount of time in Spain, but the climate did not agree with me. And so, as the years passed I missed my home land. And that is why I returned." "You've really seen all those places? It must be amazing. I've never left the city." You replied, looking back up at the portrait. Copia looked younger in the painting, though you couldn't help but think he still looked somewhat handsome. "Do you have family?" You turned to look at Copia to see him nod slowly as he took a drink. "Yes. Brothers. A Father, a Mother. Ancestors long dead." He replied, you simply nodded and looked down at your hands clutching the goblet. "I have no wife. No children. If that is what you meant." You looked back over at him with slightly wide eyes, noticing his smile had appeared on his face once again. "No.. I.. I'm sorry, I was being rude." You replied, placing your goblet down. Copia merely laughed and waved his hand. "Please, ask what you will. I am not shy. So, how about yourself? Married?" He asked, you laughed and held up your hand to show him there was no ring. "Your Father has not found some suitor for you, yet?" You merely shrugged. Copia nodded and smiled as he watched you, you couldn't help but feel a little intimated by his gaze. "You were a missionary? By the way you spoke in the church I assumed you weren't a man of religion." You asked, Copia merely laughed and nodded as he took a drink. "You know, my Uncle was a missionary in Spain, too. He never came back. He fell in love with a woman there and married her. From what I know they have three children now. My Father stopped all contact with him. He believes he gave up on his duty to God." Copia merely laughed a little and shook his head. "That's why I'm such a disappointment to him. My sister is a Nun, you see. He wished I'd followed in her footsteps." "A woman should have her own passions in life. Her own wants, her own needs. Her own desires." Copia commented, his voice growing deeper as he spoke, causing you to look across at him. His eyes once again seemed dark and glazed and you found yourself breathing heavily. "A young woman such as yourself should not sign themselves over to something to easily. Not before you have truly lived. You should experience all the joys and pleasures life has to offer you first, do you not agree?" "I...do." You hesitantly commented. This caused the smirk to enter Copia's face once again, causing a heat to rise to your cheeks. "What are your passions in life?" "Well. It was doing the Lords work, when I was young and naive. As I have grown, I have grown to appreciate the beauty of the world. The mountains, the hills. The rivers and the seas. Caves that hold unknown treasures and wonderment. Undiscovered lands. Great palaces built by the Kings of Old. I have grown to appreciate the beauty in the simple things life has to give us. The breeze, the birds song. Music itself. And to appreciate the beauties life has given us. To me, there are only two truly beautiful creatures on this earth." Copia commented, you watched him intently as he spoke and you couldn't help but smile as his passion. When he noticed you watching him, he smiled, ran his tongue across his bottom lip and cleared his throat. "The true beautiful creatures on this earth are cats and women. Cats are agile, nimble, loyal creatures who rid the world of vermin and were once worshipped as God's by the wisest of Civilisations. And women? They are a marvel. A beautiful creature placed on this earth with the power to give life, to love more than any other creature could." You smiled at this and took another drink. "But.. What if women do not give life? Does that make them not beautiful in your eyes?" You asked, causing Copia to laugh as he shook his head. "No. That makes them clever, as well as beautiful. You see, then they are keeping their power to themselves. To become stronger within themselves. I find that truly beautiful." He replied, causing your smile to grow. The more you spoke to Copia, the more you realised he was not what he seemed. He was an educated man, a well travelled man and a man of the world. He spoke with grace and dignity and moved in the same way- you felt truly enamoured by listening to him speak. "Women are such mysterious creatures. Take yourself, for instance. I do not know what is going on inside your head right now. It could be a multitude of things. You could be surpressing urges, writing a poem, counting how many stones are in this room. But all I see is calm. Serenity. Beauty." This caused you to gasp a little before you shyly took a drink. "Please, do forgive me if that makes you uncomfortable..." "No, not at all. It's just... Nobody has ever called me that before." You replied, noticing a smile enter his face as he nodded. "You speak with some knowledge and passion for things. Have you ever been in love? You would be one of histories great romantics." When you asked this, the smile fell from his face and Copia's eyes turned dull as he looked into the empty fireplace. "Oh...I'm sorry! That was rude of me." He simply held up one gloved hand and shook his head. "No, forgive me. I was, once. Many years ago. But, that is a story for another time, perhaps." He replied in a quiet voice, seeing this vulnerability to Copia made you see a new side to him. Something truly horrible must have happened to him for him to feel like this. "It is somewhat strange having company again. I rarely have visitors." With a smile, you took a drink of your wine and met his gaze once again, seeing sorrow rooted behind his eyes. "Well... If you would like me to, I can visit again?" You asked, unsure of how you would ever find this place. However, when his eyes brightened and the smile reappeared on his face, you knew you didn't care. "I would like that. Very much."


	3. Helvetesfonster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A strange dream about Copia leads to you seeking him out

You stood at the large metal gates, looking up at the castle behind them. The wind whistled past you and the freezing rain pelted your skin like miniscule shards of glass. No matter how much effort you put into calling out his name, no sound left your mouth. The thunder cracked in the black sky overhead and lighting field the sky with such intensity everything around you turned white. The trees around you creaked and groaned in the strong gusts, sounding as though they were about to fall over. Suddenly, the gates began to open, slowly and with a loud creak, as you passed through them the large oak doors opened and you saw Copia standing on the other side, with one hand held out to you. Finally, you heard something through the storm.

"Come to me."

You ran as fast as you could against the wind, battling against it as it pushed you backwards. Finally, you reached the stone steps and grasped Copia's hand, sighing in relief as he pulled you inside and the doors slammed shut behind you.

"You poor thing. Look at you, you're shivering." He commented, just as he did, the large fireplace lit by itself, filling the room with warmth and a homely orange glow. As you looked into the fire, Copia's hands slid around your waist and climbed your back, settling there as he gently tipped you backwards. Your hands crept around his neck as he leant his head down and kissed you, running his tongue over your bottom lip as he silently asked for entrance. When you opened your mouth, his tongue explored it, causing you to moan in pleasure. When he broke the kiss, his lips travelled to your neck and he began to gently kiss the skin there, running his tongue over your artery which sent a shiver down your spine. Your eyes opened when you heard a deep, guttural growl and you looked down at Copia to find one white eye glaring back at you. Just then, a sharp scratch tore across your back, tattering your dress and corset and causing you to scream in pain. Copia bit down on your neck, causing you to scream again as you fought in vain to get away from him.

"Wake up! Wake up, child! Wake up!" Your Father shouted as he slapped your cheek and shook you harder. You jolted up in the bed and looked around, staring at your Father with wide, panicked eyes. "By the Saints, what were you dreaming about?" Your hand travelled to your neck, yet you felt no bite marks. Your back showed no signs of scratches, either. "You were saying something. Were you having impure dreams?" 

"No! No, Father, I swear to you. I... I had a nightmare. That is all. A strange dream. I'm sorry to wake you." You managed to stammer, hesitantly your Father sighed and stood from the bed, retrieving his candle as he made his way to your door. You ran a hand across your forehead, sighing deeply when you felt the cold sweat beading there.

"What is a Copia? It sounds like you're terrified of them, girl." Your Father remarked before he closed your door. You gasped and brought one hand to your mouth. If your Father ever heard someone in the square say that name, he would be furious. With a deep sigh, you laid down in bed once again and closed your eyes. 

~~~

You had been waiting in the square for two hours, by the fountain, in the church, yet there was no sign of Copia. You had given up and were talking a walk through the forests, you found it always calmed you. The smells and sounds of nature always helped you to feel better. You were walking along side the ravine when suddenly you heard a noise that caused you to gasp and stop in your tracks. You slowly turned around and went wide eyed when you saw the large black wolf standing behind you. It's Jaws dripped with saliva and it's eyes seemed to be glowing a deep red. You took small steps backwards, not turning your back on the creature, as you whispered to it.

"Okay... Okay... Take it easy." You whispered, however the wolf continued it's low growl as it watched you. "I'll go about my business and you go about yours." Just then, you stepped on a twig, causing it to snap and you to gasp. The wolf snarled deeply before growling and lurching forwards. With a scream, you turned your back and ran, feeling the bottom of your dress catch on tree roots and thorns. You pushed your way through the bushes and low hanging branches, yelping as they scratched across your face. You could hear the wolf quickly chasing after you, seemingly gaining pace and closing it's distance. After a while of running, you felt the ground beneath you begin to rumble and you could hear a strange noise. As you were lifted from the floor, you screamed loudly and tried to fight against whatever it was that had hold of you. You were placed down against something and felt a hard surface banging off your cheek. You refused to open your eyes, scared of what you might find in front of you. A familiar smell began to fill your nostrils, and when you opened your eyes, they widened when you saw Copia. His hair was messier than usual, flying in the wind. He turned to look behind him before leaning forward more and tightening his hold on a leather reign, shouting 'Go!' before you began to move faster. You stretched your hand up, touching it to the cold skin of his cheek and causing him to look down. When his eyes met yours, you noticed something was different about him. Before you could say anything, your eyes fell shut and your whole body fell limp.

You woke to the smell of incense. Your head pounded as your eyes slowly opened, you looked around you and noticed unfamiliar surroundings, the room was dark and cold, however a large piece of fabric had been placed over you. You sat up in the bed and looked around the large stone room, seeing strange paintings hanging on the walls and a small, unlit fireplace in the corner. You climbed from the bed and sighed when you saw the tattered, muddy dress you were wearing and suddenly remembered everything.

"Ah, you are awake." Copia's voice said from a dark corner. He suddenly stepped out of the darkness and smiled a little to you. As he walked closer, you found yourself unable to breathe and nervous when he stretched out a gloved hand and settled it on your cheek. "They should heal nicely. I cleaned them for you." You wondered what he was talking about, however when you noticed a bowl of water and bloodied cloth on the table you understood.

"Thank you. If it weren't for you I may be dead." You replied, Copia merely laughed and shook his head. Without thinking, you wrapped your arms around him and settled your head against his chest. You noticed his body tense a little and a gasp escaped his lips- just as you were about to pull away, Copia's hands settled on the bottom of your back and held you tightly to his chest. You listened to his heart beating rapidly, making you smile slightly as your eyes closed and you took in his smell. "I... it was nothing." He finally said, you took a step back and smiled up to him, noticing he was smiling back down at you before he stepped away fully and cleared his throat. "Would you care for some wine?" With a smile, you nodded and followed Copia out of the room, down a spiralled stone stair case and back into the hall you had seen before. You took the same seat as before and sighed once again as you looked down at the torn hem of your dress. When Copia reappeared and handed you a goblet of wine, you thanked him and took it. "What were you doing in the woods all alone? They are a dangerous place." He took his usual seat and looked across at you as he took a drink from his wine and stared into the unlit fireplace. You couldn't help but notice there was something strange about Copia today, he seemed to be acting strangely. "I was... looking for you." You finally said, Copia turned to look at you with widened eyes, however he remained silent. "I... I had a strange dream. I felt... concerned. Scared, even." "Why? Everything is fine. As it should be." Copia replied before he took a drink from his wine once again and looked back into the fire. You kept your eyes on him, wondering what was truly wrong. When he noticed you watching him, he sighed deeply, placed his goblet down on a small table beside him and turned to look at you. You straightened your back a little when you fell under his gaze, his dark eyes were strangely piercing. "Tell me, what was this dream?" Your eyes moved to the floor and you took a large drink from your wine, however Copia's eyes never seemed to leave you. "Well... I... It was..." You stammered, you soon felt hands slide over yours, up your wrists and onto grip onto your arms. When you looked up, Copia was bending down in front of you, his eyes staring into your own and he had a small smile on his face. "It... It was..." "It was... what?" He asked in a dark tone of voice which sent a shiver down your spine and the hairs on your arms and back of your neck to stand on end. One hand settled beneath your chin and Copia tilted your head upwards, causing you to start breathing heavily ."Come now, you can tell me." When Copia noticed your breathing and blushed cheeks, a dark smile appeared on his face and he nodded. "I see. This was a... sensitive dream, no?" You closed your eyes and wished for the ground to swallow you whole, you didn't know how Copia was reacting. However, when your eyes shot open when you felt something cold press to the side of your neck. Turning your head ever so slightly you noticed Copia was standing behind your chair, pressing small kisses to your neck. Was he playing with you? Trying to embarrass you even further? "Tell me, why did you fear telling me this?" Copia's gloved hands came around your shoulders, one hand glided across your throat whilst the other settled on your collar bone. You felt an immense pressure in your chest and lower stomach, your breathing had grown more rapid and your cheeks were burning. "I, too, have such dreams. The kind where, even though you know it is not real, you feel such immense pleasure. Your body is on fire, like a thousand candles have been lit around you. Your mouth grows dry, your head spins, your stomach aches for something. A release." When Copia walked to stand in front of you again, he leant in close to you, both his arms trapped you in the chair as his hands clutched the back of the head rest. His eyes burned into your own and you almost forgot how to breathe. "Is that how you felt?" He whispered this part, smirking darkly afterwards when he saw the shift in expression on your face. Without thinking, you sat forward and pressed your lips against Copia's own, feeling him instantly kiss you back. His hands settled on the sides of your neck whilst yours clutched to his jacket. When you broke the kiss, Copia smiled down to you and pressed a kiss to the side of your neck, causing you to exhale a pleasurable moan. "Did I do this? Did you make such noises?" This brought another moan, only louder. When one of Copia's hands glided down your chest and stomach to settle between your legs, you gasped a little before moaning when he applied a little pressure. When your eyes met his again, he smirked darkly to you before kissing you once again and moved your dress up your thighs. ~~~ You exhaled a loud, pleasurable moan as Copia buried his head between your legs, your hands gripping onto the soft red velvet as your back arched and your own moans eachoed off the walls. His hands gripped your thighs and he moaned against you, sending a shiver down your spine. The cool, rough leather of his gloves felt strange against your skin, yet the feel of his warm breath against you caused your head to spin. You moved one hand down into his hair and you gripped tightly as an even louder moan escaped your lips. You yanked his head up and smashed your lips down onto his, he moaned against your lips with one hand tangled in the back of your hair whilst the other one gripped your left breast roughly. He pulled you to sit on his lap as his hands ventured to your back, grabbing your rear roughly before he gave it a slap, causing you to gasp a little. When your lips met the side of his neck, his body stiffened and his arms tightened around you. You leant back and noticed his eyes were wide, there was a thin sheet of sweat covering his forehead. For a moment, you wondered if you had done something wrong, however when Copia leant forward and kissed between your breasts, you forgot about the strange reaction. Copia's body wasn't what you had expected; it was younger looking than you had thought it would be, his chest and thighs were still firm and he only had a slight stomach. He had a thick patch of black hair stretching from his crotch to his navel, and a slight patch across his chest. His shoulders looked strong and his back had a curve towards the bottom of his spine which you continued to run your fingers up and down. When Copia laid you down on your back once again, he hovered above you and pressed gentle kisses to your forehead as he pushed into you. The feeling caused you to clutch onto his shoulders and groan in discomfort- he continued to kiss your forehead until the pain subsided and he began to roll his hips gently and slowly. A strange feeling began to grow in the pit of your stomach, one you hadn't felt before. Copia's forehead rested on your own and he groaned deeply as his hips grew a little faster, he would occasionally press kisses to your cheeks, forehead or lips. You let out a loud moan and your nails dug into Copia's back, causing him to moan in pleasure. Something about this felt wrong, you had been told your entire life to not have sex until you were married, your Father commonly called women who didn't wait for marriage 'whores'. Copia's hand travelled down your stomach once again and reached between yourself and him, causing you to moan loudly once again. His hips grew faster once again and his own moans grew louder and deeper, sounding rather animalistic as they rumbled deep within his chest. You were suddenly lifted and found yourself sitting on Copia's chest, he smirked up to you, placed both hands on your waist and slowly began to guide you. His eyes soon closed and his head fell backwards as a long, slow moan left his mouth. "Sic, ut 'eam. Similis quod*." As you looked up, you saw your own reflection in a mirror hanging on the wall, you couldn't help but notice your reflection looked different to usual. Your eyes seemed....darker. Your cheeks were blushed and your hair was wild. You had never seen yourself look like this, for a moment, you wondered if it was really you.


	4. Chapter 4

You were sitting in the church with your Father and Mother sitting on the bench in front of you with their heads bowed in prayer. You were gazing at your hands, clutched together in front of you, wondering what you were doing.

"He is not judging you." You heard Copia whisper, startling you slightly. You turned to look for him, however you couldn't see him anywhere. "You think God is judging you, no? For what we did? For our night of passion, my hands running over your body? You clutching to me, marking my back?" You jumped when you felt a hand moving your hair over one shoulder whilst another came around your neck. You sighed quietly and allowed your head to fall back as Copia's gloved hands gently and slowly moved down your chest, forgetting where you were." Tell me, might he see this? As we are, now?" One hand slid down the front of your dress and clutched a breast, causing your breath to hitch in your throat. "In his own house, none the less."

"(name)! Snap out of it, girl!" Your Father's voice said, calling you back to the moment. When your eyes opened, you looked around and saw Copia nowhere: only your Father glaring down at you. "Come. Your Mother wishes for you to speak to the Priest." You stood from the bench and followed quickly after your Father, keeping your eyes fixed on the ground beneath you. In the distance, you could hear your Mother as she spoke to someone, followed by a deep laughter from two men. "Hello, Father." You kept your eyes on the ground until you stepped forward and greeted the elderly priest, kissing his hand as you knelt. 

"Ah, just the person! My child, meet the newest member of our clergy. The Cardinal here has been speaking to your Mother about perhaps getting you more involved with the church." The Priest said, your eyes widened when your Father stepped out of the way and Copia stood in front of you. His dark eyes seemed calm and he wore a small smile on his face as you stepped closer and stooped to your knee. However, Copia took both of your hands in his and tapped the back of them, causing you to look up at him. He knelt on the floor in front of you and smiled, earning strange looks from your Father. 

"There is no need for that, my child." He said to you in a calm voice, you didn't take your eyes off him whilst you both stood to your feet again. He took his hands in yours once again and smiled to you before turning to look at your Father. "Domine, might I have a private moment with your daughter? A confession, perhaps?" You wondered what Copia was doing, was he trying to raise your Father's suspicions? Surely he knew what would happen to you if he found out. Your Father nodded and took a step closer to you, placing one hand on your arm and moving his head close to you. "Go with the Cardinal and confess. Whatever he asks of you, do it." He said in a hushed voice, smiling to the Priest and then to Copia when you followed Copia to the confession booths. Once the door to the room was shut and the curtains were drawn, you heard the wooden panel slide across and you soon saw Copia from the corner of your eye. "Tell me, what do you wish to confess?" He asked, you found it rather strange seeing Copia in this professional manner. You sighed deeply and closed your eyes, feeling a tension growing in your chest. You felt Copia's chest against your back before his hands settled on your stomach, your eyes closed and you allowed your head to rest on his shoulder. "I have been having... unclean thoughts." You finally replied, hearing Copia hum quietly beside you. However, you felt his hands slide lower until they settled on your thighs. A low, deep laugh came from Copia as his gloved hands bundled your dress and slowly lifted it up your legs. "'Unclean'? Inpure?" He asked as your dress continued to climb your legs, you let out a deep sigh and nodded, moving one hand backwards to comb through Copia's soft hair, smiling when you felt it move through your fingers. A deep rumble sounded from his chest, vibrating against your back. "What about? What do these thoughts consist of?" Your fingers burrowed deeper into his hair as his ice cold lips pressed kisses to the back of your neck, causing you to moan quietly. "Blasphemous thoughts? Blasphemous actions? Ah... the thoughts you had in the Chapel? Right under the Lord's nose." His voice grew quieter and deeper as he spoke, making you moan once again as he at last bundled your dress around your waist and slid his hands along your now bare thighs." I knew what you were thinking of. I could see the shame in your eyes as you walked behind your Father. There is nothing to be ashamed of, pleasure is natural. Feeling the desire for pleasure is perfectly normal. A carnal lust, a deep, demanding need for that ever so wonderful release is a natural, human craving." One hand dipped between your legs as he spoke, causing you to moan as your eyes fell closed as the wave of pleasure washed over you. "Do you feel that pleasure? That burst of extasy rising in your body?" "Yes." You moaned, clutching at his hair tightly as his hand movements quickened. Copia's hot breathe ghosted across your neck, sending an electric shock down your spine and all the hair on your body to stand up. "Let it wash over you. That warm, shocking energy." He whispered before running his tongue over the shell of your ear, causing you to moan loudly. You feared your Father, Mother and the Priest would hear outside, however when you felt a tight knot in the bottom of your stomach you started to forget where you were and what the consequences would be if someone did hear you. "What do you want?" Copia whispered once again, pressing kisses to the back of your neck as he continued to move his hand. "You." You whispered in return, hearing a deep, rumbling laugh emitting deep within his chest. You turned your head and saw him smirking to you, his eyes were darker than usual and you noticed something behind them. You stood, turned to face Copia fully and straddled his lap, once again lifting your dress to your hips. His hands settled on your waist, his gloved fingers squeezing you slightly whilst your own draped over his shoulders and climbed the back of his hair. His lips curled into a smirk, he leant forward, pressed his lips to beside your ear and kissed there before whispering: "Then take me." With that, he crashed his lips onto yours once again, causing you to slightly fall back. His arms tightly wrapped around you and brought you back up as his tongue slid past your lips,, causing you to moan. One hand reached between your legs, causing you to break the kiss and moan aloud whilst your hands pushed beneath his robes and grasped him, causing his breath to hitch in his throat. You pressed kissed to his neck and moaned as he continued to move his hand, his breath loud and heavy against your ear. "Ita...*" He whispered in a husky voice, causing you to smile as you pressed another kiss to his neck. "Quod sentit bonum**." Copia seemed to be a little nervous when he spoke, as though he felt foolish saying such things. He let out a deep groan and allowed his head to fall back, giving you the chance to kiss his throat. You could feel his throat vibrating against your lips as he moaned, bringing another smile to your face. You brought your hand away from Copia and moved closer up his lap, lowering yourself onto him as you both groaned. Your arms wrapped around his neck whilst his settled on your waist, slowly guiding the movement. A moan left your lips as you closed your eyes, feeling Copia's fingers tighten around your waist. For a moment, your mind thought to your Mother, Father and the elderly Priest standing in the next hall. Would they hear all of this? What would your Father say if he knew what you were doing in a place of Worship? And with a Cardinal? When Copia moaned deeply, you opened your eyes and smiled as you looked at him. His eyes were closed, his head resting against the back of the booth and his cheeks were flushed. Something about Copia looked different, he looked almost younger- of course, his skin was still wrinkled, but his expression made him seem like a young man. When his eyes opened and met yours, he sat forward and crashed his lips against yours once again, the shift in his hips causing you to moan loudly against his mouth and press your hands to the sides of the booth. A knot began to form in the bottom of your stomach and a warm, comforting sensation began to wash over you. Your fingernails scratched at the wooden walls as you broke the kiss to moan, Copia's lips instantly latching onto your neck. "Veni ad me.***" He whispered before licking along the shell of your ear, causing the wave to wash over you as your hands once again gripped Copia's shoulders. Your head fell against Copia's chest and, as he climaxed, you regained your breath and listened to the pounding of his heart. A while later, you felt Copia's hand stroke down your back as he hummed. You smiled to yourself and pushed your face further into his chest, taking in his scent. When you felt his lips press to the top of your hair, you sat back and looked at him, seeing a small smile on his lips. One hand gently brushed your cheek and he pressed a kiss to your lips, this one was gentle and caring. "We should go back to them." His voice was now soft and soothing, making you smile as you climbed from his lap and smoothed down your dress. When you both left the booth, the Cardinal smoothed a hand through his hair and checked his robes. Copia pressed another kiss to your hair before he opened the door and stepped out, you could hear your Father speaking to the Priest before they noticed Copia. "Ah, here they are." The Priest said, your Father helped him stand as they both walked towards the Cardinal and yourself. Your Father's eyes checked you over, as though he was suspicious about what you had spoken to the Cardinal about. "Cardinal, I trust you gave the young Miss the guidance she needed?" Copia turned to smile to you as you stood a short distance behind him before he turned back to the elderly Priest and your Father. "I did indeed, Father. I believe these confessions will be a regular occurance. Would you agree, Miss?" Copia asked you, as all three men turned to look at you, you simply nodded, walked forward and bowed to one knee as you kissed Copia's hand. Your eyes met his and you smirked slightly, noticing he was trying his best not to return the smirk. When you rose to your feet once again, you stood beside your Father and smiled to Copia once more. That evening, you were sitting around the table with your Mother whilst your Father sat in his chair beside the fire, smoking his pipe. "I am glad to hear you have decided to continue your confessions with the Cardinal." Your Father suddenly said, causing you to smile and simply nod. "He is a good man, from what the Priest was telling me the men before him were poor choices. The Cardinal seems to be setting this church back on the right path." You wondered what your Father meant by the men before Copia, however, when he told you it was time for you to retire to bed, you simply nodded and kissed both of your parents goodnight. As you laid in bed that night, you couldn't help but think about Copia. His hands on your waist, his moans, his lips against yours. You felt the same warmth in the bottom of your stomach once again and, as you closed your eyes, you saw eyes glowing as they started at you, however, there was something odd. One was a dark brown. The other, a ghostly white. *= Yes **= That feels good ***= Come to me


	5. Like Mary on a Cross

"Forgive me, Father. For I have sinned." You said solemnly. Your head was bowed, your hands clutched together with a rosary bound between them. The confession booth smelt strongly of incense: frankensence, you would have guessed. You could hear nothing within the confines of the small booth. No other sounds from the Church, no noises from the square outside. The only sounds you could hear were your own breaths and your heartbeat pounding in your ears. After what seemed like an hour of silence, you heard the old wood of the bench in the conjoined booth creak as the occupant shuffled. 

"Tell me, my child." The voice asked. As you closed your eyes and sighed, your hands clung to the rosary beads so tightly you thought they might snap and scatter around the booth. Your surroundings seemed to spin around you, you felt nauseated and a strong, vile smell seemed to fill your nostrils. "The Lord forgives all." With another deep sigh, you cleared your throat, sat up straight and nodded; however, your eyes remained closed. As you prepared to speak, the visions flashed in the darkness of your eyes once again.

"I have been having... blasphemous dreams. Visions at night. Visions far beyond my control and visions I do not wish to have." You finally managed to say, hearing a deep hum from the booth beside you, waiting for you to elaborate. "I have... these dreams. Dreams where I am... the Virgin. Holy Mary. I am dressed in a long blue dress, however my head is uncovered. I am... crucified. Nailed to the Holy Cross, like Jesus. Father, what are these dreams?" After another long period of silence, you sighed as you felt a tear fall from your eye and roll down your cheek. "The Lord is punishing me, isn't he? For betraying his wishes. For betraying the wishes of my Father. For... being unpure. For giving into desires. Sinful desires." The tears now rolled down your cheeks as you dropped the rosary to the floor, hearing it land on the floor with a wooden clank. You buried your face in your hands and wept into them, unable to stop. What had you done? You had been plagued by these dreams for weeks. Perhaps this was your own plague? Your own sickness, your own disease. After all, your Father did always tell you blasphemy was the highest form of sickness.

"These dreams are not blasphemous, my child. There is indeed something within in you likened to that of the Holy Mary." The Father said, his usually husky voice sounded somewhat soft and calming. You stifled your crying for a moment, waiting for the Father to end his sentence. When he did, you raised one eyebrow and turned to look at the wooden wall beside you. "Your beauty never, ever scared me." You wiped a falling tear from your eye with your finger as you wondered what the Father meant. Suddenly, a pair of cold hands clasped your own, causing you gasp and snap your head forward, seeing Copia kneeling in front of you in the booth. He was wearing a black robe, his usual Cardinal's hat and a smile on his face. "And I see nothing wrong with that." You turned to look into the booth beside you through the small opening, finding it empty.

"Copia?! What are you... how did you get in here? Where is the Father?" You asked, feeling a little frightened by Copia's sudden appearance. His smile softened as one hand reached up and wiped away some tears.

"He was never here." Was all he whispered, causing your eyebrow to raise once again. "No more tears. Come, I wish to show you something." With that, Copia stood. You stood behind him and followed him out of the booth with your hand still linked in his. He led you through the main hall of the church, through a series of corridors until you reached a large, old looking wooden door. The handle was huge and rusted, the door looked older than the whole church. Copia lifted a thong of leather over his head, dangling from it was an old key, befitting the door. When he turned it in the keyhole, it snapped with such a sound you had never heard a lock make. "Nobody outside of the church has ever seen this. You must give me your word you tell nobody." You nodded slowly, feeling a little scared about what you might see on the other side of the door. With a single nod, Copia pushed the door open. A freezing cold breeze instantly leaked out of the door, causing you to gasp and take a step back. When he noticed this, Copia smiled slightly and took your hand once again before leading you into the freezing pitch black. You could see nothing around you, the smell was damp and the air freezing.

"Copia? Where are you taking me? What is this place?" You asked, receiving no answer. The only way you knew Copia was still there was his hand tightly holding onto your own and the sound of his boots against what sounded to be stone tiles. "I want to go back. Take me back, please." Again, no response. Your breath grew more erratic and frantic, your head began to pound and you felt as though you might cry again. Just when you were on the verge of tears, you walked straight into Copia's back and instantly clutched onto his robes, burying your face into his back.

"Open your eyes." He finally said, however, you shook your head. You heard a faint chuckle from the Cardinal, you felt him turn to face you and soon his robes were replaced by his hand in yours. His free hand settled beneath your chin and slowly lifted your head, he pressed his lips to yours and slid his other hand to your back, pulling you closer to him. You soon relaxed into the kiss, clutching at his robes once again. When he broke the kiss, you slowly opened your eyes and looked up at him, seeing him smiling gently down to you. You suddenly noticed the warmth, the light, the glow of candles, the sweet smell of burning herbs. "Look around you." With a deep sigh, you shifted your eyes to the side, the sight that greeted you caused your jaw to fall open before you turned to look around the room fully. You were stood in a crypt; the walls were high and the ceiling was arched, figures were carved into the stone walls and memorial stones filled the walls and some of the floor. "These are the memories of those who touched the church. Who made an impact here. Those," your eyes followed Copia's finger when he pointed behind you, you gasped when you saw four large stone tombs. Each had a stone throne at the head of the tomb, with a stone death mask carved onto the headrest of three. "are the first three rulers of this church." Copia followed you to the tombs when you took a closer inspection, running your fingers along the cold, stone lids of the tombs before you moved to the thrones. You inspected the carved death masks: the first, an old man. A large, angular nose was carefully carved, as were the lines in his face. You turned to read the name on the tomb, seeing 'Emitrius I' carved there delicately. The second, a slightly younger man with harsh frown lines on his forehead, his tomb read 'Emitrius II'. The third was the youngest mask of the three: a small smirk had been carved onto the face and you couldn't help but feel a little saddened, his tomb read 'Emitrius III'. When you noticed a fourth throne, you turned to look at the tomb behind you, but found it empty of words. When your eyes met Copia's, he smiled to you and motioned his arm towards the throne. "Go ahead. Take a seat." You nervously looked at the stone throne, the only one with no death mask carved into the head. When you sat down and placed your hands on the cold stone, you closed your eyes. Instantly, a scene flashed before your eyes of the man in the tomb beside you being carried away, a large figure dressed in black bringing an axe down and the man's head falling into a basket. The black figure lifted the head from the basket, holding it by the black hair. When the figure removed its hood, you opened your eyes wide and looked at Copia in shock. You shot from the throne and looked at it as you breathed heavily. "Now do you see? What you are dreaming, what you are feeling, it is not a sin, as such. We all here have sinned, it is why we are conducted into this church. Myself, well. That is a story for another time. The man before me, the poor idiot. He lived a lavish life that brought shame to the church elders." You turned to look at the tomb behind you and ran your hands along where the name would eventually be carved. 

"This... is yours?" You asked as you turned to look at Copia, seeing him nod slowly as he looked down at what would one day be his final resting place. You sighed deeply and once again ran your hands over the cold stone, as though his head was already below the thick slab of stone. "Why have you brought me here? Why are you showing me this?" Copia smiled to you as he walked to you, his hands gently held your face and he pressed a long kiss to your forehead. "Copia?" 

"Because you are the one who will put me there." He whispered, your eyes widened and you once again looked down at the tomb, wondering what he meant. "Like each of these men, I have committed the act that will lead to my demise when the time comes. The first, he was too old to continue the rule. The second, wrath consumed him. You know the third. Myself... what some would call the greatest sin of all." Copia walked around you and sat in the stone throne, making himself comfortable as he looked at you. You found it slightly unnerving, he was sitting in what would one day bear the carving of his death mask when his body would lay not a stones throw away. "Lust." When Copia said this, you felt a strange feeling. As though something was pulling you to one spot in the crypt. Following your instinct, you began to walk to the spot, Copia did not follow. He remained sitting on the stone throne. When you reached the area, you found yourself looking at a bare slab of stone in the wall closest to Copia's tomb. When you reached out and brushed it with your fingertips, you saw Copia kneeling in front of it, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he hammered the chisel into the stone, carving out a name. When he blew on it and brushed away the dust, you saw your own name there. With that, your stomach churned and you turned to look at Copia, gasping when you saw the three other men sitting in their thrones with Copia still in his own. 

"What is happening?" You said as the room began to spin, you slowly made your way forward and clung onto the edge of Copia's tomb, looking up once again to see all four men still sitting there. You couldn't help but notice the third man wore the same smirk as his death mask as he looked at you. 

"She's going to faint." He said before laughing mischievously. With that, your eyes fell shut and you fell to the floor with a hard thump, your head landing on the hard, cold stone floor.


	6. Chapter 6

The room around you was cold, freezing, even. You shivered as you slowly opened your eyes and looked around, seeing yourself sitting in the now dimly lit Crypt, sitting on Copia's stone throne. You were alone, no other sounds could be heard other than the sounds of yourself breathing and your heartbeat pounding in your ears. You felt sick, your head ached and span.

"You think you are going insane... No?" A voice asked, causing you to jump and look around the dark room, to find nobody. Suddenly, the sound of boots could be heard walking closer to you. "The things you are experiencing... Seeing, feeling... You think your God has abandoned you?" You gasped when a white, gloved hand moved your hair over one shoulder and gently brushed along your neck- over your main artery.

"W-who are you? What do you want? Where am I?" You asked in a panic as the hand continued to brush across your neck. The person laughed darkly before you felt cold breath against your bare neck, sending a shock down your spine.

"So many questions." Was all the voice replied before a pair of lips pressed a kiss to your neck, causing you to gasp and attempt to move away. Whoever this was, it wasn't Copia. The voice was different, the way they were behaving was different. Suddenly, the crypt was lit with candles and a strong smell of roses filled the room. Your eyes widened when one of the men from the tombs stepped into view, the third man, you thought. As he looked at your reaction, he simply smiled and bowed dramatically. "From your expression, I assume I don't need to answer your first question?" You looked the man up and down, he looked so different to Copia. He was wearing a black Priest's robe with gold trim. "What I want... is to talk to you." You raised one eyebrow when the man stepped closer to you, leant in closer and smiled as he ran a finger down your cheek, setting it under your chin as he tipped your head up slightly. His face seemed a little younger than Copia's, his eyes were mismatched- one brown, one white. "Talk to me? What about?" You asked, he laughed darkly once again as he leant in closer and smelt your hair, causing you to pull a face and shuffle in the stone chair. "He's fallen lucky with you, hasn't he?" He asked as he took a step back, however, he remained standing close to you. When he examined your expression, he chuckled and nodded. "But, of course he has. I wonder... do you feel as lucky, hm?" You gasped when you were pulled from the throne and held close to the man. He smirked down to you as his hands snaked around your waist and settled on your lower back, pushing your hips close to his. "Do you truly long to be with him, beside him? Or has he simply awoken a need within you? This fire, this desire?" When the man pressed his lips to yours, your eyes widened and you attempted to push him away- however, you found your eyes closing as you began to kiss him back. Your hands slowly crept onto his shoulders as his tongue ran over yours and soon crept up into his hair. When your back hit something cold and hard, you opened your eyes to the man now hovering above you as you laid on his tomb. As he kissed down your neck, you turned your head to the side to see Copia's throne and future tomb. Just then, you felt a pain growing in your stomach which spread to your chest, you didn't want this. You looked above you once again and gasped when you saw the man was gone. "She received a blow to the head, I'm afraid. Nothing too serious." You heard Copia saying, suddenly, the room began to spin around you and your stomach once again churned. You groaned in pain as you felt the room spinning faster, your body felt weightless. "Oh, heavens! Quickly, through here. Lay her down here." Your Mother's voice said, you were laid down on something a little hard, yet softer than the lid of the tomb. "God bless you, Cardinal." Your Mother sounded relieved, yet a little saddened. "I would wish to go to the Church and pray." "I merely did what anybody would do, Madam. Please, go to pray. I shall take care of your daughter until you return." Cardinal replied, after some thanks from your Mother, the door to your home closed and you felt the bed shift beside you. A cool, leather glove settled on your forehead and Copia sighed. "Copia?" You asked as you opened your eyes. He looked down at you with caring, somewhat concerned eyes. Your eyes scanned the room, looking for the other man, however, yourself and Copia were the only two in the room. When you tried to sit, Copia tutted and gently laid you back down. "You need to rest. You shouldn't move too much." He told you, placing his hand on your forehead once again. "You have questions?" You looked up at him to find him looking out of the window above your bed as though he was watching for someone. There was something different about the way Copia was behaving, he seemed... anxious. Perhaps a little angry, even. Did he know about your kiss with the other man? Did that really happen? Your head span as you thought frantically, starting to once again feel nauseated. "They will all be answered in time. For now, you should rest." With that, Copia stood from the bed, however, you sat up quickly and grabbed his hand. He turned to look down at your hands clutching his before his eyes met yours. "I shall be in the next room." Without even thinking, you found yourself shaking your head. "Stay. Please. Stay with me." You told him, pleading him as you felt worried he may leave. After a few moments of silence, the Cardinal finally nodded and sat back down on the edge of the bed. "Lay with me?" You asked, keeping your hands in his as you laid back down. Seeming hesitant, Copia laid beside you, his gloved hand remained in yours whilst his free one hung awkwardly by his side. Without another though, you rolled onto your side and buried yourself in his chest, taking in his scent. Copia's body seemed to stiffen at first, however when you wrapped one arm around his waist, you felt his arms slowly wrap around you and tighten as he pulled you into him. For a long while, neither of you said anything. You wondered if he had fallen asleep, however he finally broke the silence. "Are you not afraid?" He finally asked as one hand carefully and gently ran down your back in a comforting way, causing you to smile as your face buried into his black robes. "After what I showed you... what I told you... are you not afraid of me?" This caused you to sit up and look down at Copia, the sight which greeted you caused you to smile. His usually sleek, back hair, dishevelled and disorderly on his head. His face seemed calm and serine, possibly the most human you had seen the man look. His eyes were calm, comfortable and his lips were parted ever so slightly as he breathed gentle breaths. His hand now settled on your thigh and you took it in yours and kissed each gloved finger. The Cardinal watched you with what seemed to be confusion on his face as you did this, simply smiling at him. When you stopped, you pressed the palm of his hand against yours and compared the size. "I've never seen your hands... why is that?" You asked, running your fingertips along the smooth, cool leather. "You always keep them covered." "They tell a story I wish not to be told." He replied, watching you intently as you continued to examine the gloves. "You are not afraid of me?" Your eyes finally met his again and, with a smile, you leant forward and pressed your lips to his. To your surprise, Copia instantly kissed you back, his fingers tightening around yours once again as his tongue ran along your bottom lip. Your hair fell over Copia's face, however, he simply continued kissing you. When you finally broke the kiss, he smiled up to you and gently brushed the hair over your shoulder, placing his hand on the side of your neck when he did so. "I have no reason to be." Was all you whispered before Copia kissed you once again. This kiss was filled with more passion, more fire and more intensity. You straddled Copia's thighs and moaned against his lips as he moved your dress up your legs. Just then, the door to your home was opened as your Father returned. You quickly threw yourself back down onto your bed as the Cardinal rolled and knelt beside your bed in prayer, just as the door was opened. "Cardinal? What are you doing here?" Your Father asked, looking at the man with a confused expression and at you with one of concern. The Cardinal turned to look at your Father and smiled to him as he stood, leading him out of your room, smirking and winking to you before he closed the door after himself. ~~~ "Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." The Elderly Priest said as he stood at the front of the church that morning, you were sat on your usual bench in the church, with your Father and Mother seated before you. Copia was sitting behind the Priest, you could feel his eyes on you as you looked down at your hands. "Does this mean your heart is not pure? That you do not follow peace, love?" The man said, you didn't turn to look to your side, but you could feel Emitrius sitting there. Could Copia see him? His expression did not seem to have changed when you looked at him. "What about the other women in this room, hm? Are they pure of heart?" With a chuckle, he simply shook his head, shuffled closer to you and pointed to a woman you had seen around the village square. "That woman dreams about the blacksmith making love to her in a most brutal way and imagines the same when she lays with her husband." You didn't know whether to believe the man, however, you still raised your eyebrows at this information. "That one," he now pointed to a woman sitting a few benches ahead of you. "Imagines swimming naked in the stream with everybody watching her, purely for a sexual thrill. And her," now, to a young woman sitting on the bench opposite you. She had olive skin, sleek, long brunette hair and dazzling honey coloured eyes. You knew most boys in the town wished to marry her. "she has been having dreams about the Cardinal." When he said this, your head snapped back to look at him, seeing his skeleton face smiling at your reaction. "Ita, she imagines the Cardinal's hands reaching down the front of her dress, caressing her, before he lifts up her dress and..." "That's enough." You whispered, not wishing to hear any more. The man beside you chuckled and exhaled through his nostrils as he sat back. "Why are you telling me this?" "Every woman feels lust. Every woman desires to lay with a man, perhaps multiple, at a time. I know things about your Mother that would cause your toes to curl." When he said this, you turned to look at him with a disgusted expression before you turned back to look at Copia, gasping slightly when you noticed his expression: his eyebrow was raised as he looked in your direction and his mouth formed a tight frown. You quickly looked back down at the floor. "Do you feel lust when you look at him? Do you imagine him doing things to you that would cause your God to turn away?" "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body." The Priest said, you looked up and saw Copia's eyes now glued onto the man beside you. Your whole body stiffened before you stood from the bench and left the church, running to the forest on the edge of the village. With a deep sigh, you sat down beneath a large tree and closed your eyes. What was happening to you? "You have nothing to be afraid of. You are becoming a woman in of your own, not following the wishes of your Mother or Father. That is all." Emitrius said, causing you to sigh as you opened your eyes and looked at the man sitting beside you. A smirk slowly grew ok n his face as he looked at you, before he nodded and tapped your leg. "Go to him. You feel that want for him, yes?" With a sigh, you turned to look back in the direction of the church and felt a knot form in the bottom of your stomach. You gasped when you felt the man's lips settle on your neck before he kicked a long line. "Go to him." With that, the man disappeared, leaving you wondering if you were going insane.


	7. Crucified, like my Savior

The room around you filled with smoke, a thick, heavy black smoke that invaded your nostrils, chocking your lungs. With a cough, you wafted your hand in front of your face, attempting to move the thick fog. You froze when you heard heavy footsteps from the opposite side of the room, though you could see nobody.

"I've seen the deepest darkness." An old, haggard voice said, causing you to gasp as a feeling of intense fear washed over you. As you continued to look around the room, you couldn't see anybody. "And wrestled with the God's." You once again wafted the smoke from infront of your face, to no avail. When the footsteps grew closer, you froze when they stopped in front of you. Everything in the room fell still and silent for a moment, though it seemed like an eternity. When two freezing hands settled on your shins, you gasped when an elderly, skeletal face appeared in front of you through the thick smoke. The eyes were the same as Emitrius', though seemed more angry and stern. As you stared into the mismatched eyes, you suddenly screamed when your legs were pulled forwards, sending your body dragging along the floor into the pitch black of the room. You shot up in bed with a gasp, a freezing cold sweat poured from your body and you shivered as you remembered the dream. Just then, you noticed the thick smell of smoke once again, the same smell from the dream. The smell was followed by a deep breathing from the darkest corner of your room, beside your door. A quiet whimper left your lips as the same skeletal face appeared from the dark corner and began to walk towards your bed. This figure was taller than Emitrius and Copia, dressed in another black Priests tobe and hat. The stern eyes never left you as he walked to stand beside your bed, glaring down at you, causing you to shift uncomfortably.

"What do you want?" You quietly asked, not wanting to wake your parents. The figure remained silent, making you feel all the more uncomfortable. "Is this about Copia?" When you mentioned his name, his eyes widened, causing them to appear even more intimidating. When the figure stooped in close to you, you shuffled back so far your head hit the stone wall behind your bed. 

"His hands." Was all the man said before he disappeared. You looked around the room and gasped when a feeling of worry came over you. Without another thought, you left your bed, put on your boots and cloak before leaving your house and running to the woods, looking for Copia's castle. When you reached the large metal gates, you caught your breath and looked up at a window, seeing a dim candle light flickering behind the stained glass window with Copia's figure on the other side. You attempted to shout his name, however, he couldn't hear you. 

"What are you concerned about?" Emitrius asked behind you, you turned to look at him and sighed deeply. "He's fine, he's drinking wine. Thinking about you." You gasped when two hands settled on your stomach as Emitrius wrapped his arms around your waist. His lips pressed to the side of your neck once again, drawing a small moan from your mouth as you felt your knees begin to weaken. Emitrius' hands travelled lower until they settled between your legs, causing you to moan once again. "Thinking about doing this to you." Your hands slid over his own as you slowly turned to face him, however, you pushed yourself away and screamed loudly when you saw the older skeletal face once again glaring at you. Just then, you felt a gloved hand slide into your own before you were pulled back and into the Castle, with the heavy oak doors slamming behind you. Your face was buried in Copia's chest as your hands clutched to his back, one hand held the back of your head whilst the other soothingly catressed your back. "What are you doing here? It is the middle of the night... You are frozen! Here, warm yourself by the fire." Copia said as he led you to the chair beside the large open fire. The flames instantly began to warm your cold body as Copia draped a black cloak around your shoulders and handed you a goblet of wine. When he knelt in front of you and gently placed his hands on your knees, he smiled comfortingly up to you. "What were you doing out there?" "I... I wanted to see you." You said before taking a drink from your wine. You felt uneasy- wondering how much of what you were seeing was real and how much was your imagination. Were you going insane? Why were you seeing the other two men? Copia could sense there was something wrong and pressed a gentle kiss to your knee. "Well, here I am. What is wrong?" He asked, you looked back down at him before you shook your head. "Come along, I know when something is bothering you. You can tell me." With a sigh, you placed your goblet down and took his hands in yours, you could feel Copia watching you intently as he wondered what you were doing. "Tell me about your hands." You asked, you heard a small, almost inaudible gasp from Copia when you asked his and noticed his fingers curl and tighten. "Please. I want to know." With another sigh, Copia slowly nodded and curled his fingers around yours. "Close your eyes." He whispered to you you simply nodded and did as he said. "I was a young, foolish man. One who refused to listen to orders from my elders, my superiors..." You suddenly found yourself sitting in an old church, not the one in the village. You felt a strange pushing from behind and went wide eyed when you saw two large figures with masks covering their faces dragging another man by the arms walk straight through you. You looked down and put your hands on your stomach and chest, you felt as solid as you always did, however when another figure walked straight through you, you gasped when you noticed the elderly Priest- although younger than he is now, walk behind the three figures. "Drop him there, boys." The Priest said to the two figures, who simply dropped the man they were carrying, causing him to fall flat on his chest in the floor of the church. You watched as the two masked figures stood at the front of the church, at either side of a large black curtain the Priest slowly made his way to the front benches and sat down with a groan, clearing his throat before he spoke again. "Sister, what would you have done with him?" You raised one eyebrow as you wondered who he was talking to, however, when another figure walked through you, you felt weak and fell to your knees. When you looked up, you saw a woman with grey hair and a black skirt and jacket walking down the aisle of the church, standing beside the Priest. "I think we should put our new decoration to use. Would you agree, Papa?" The woman asked, you simply stood to your feet once again and walked to the front of the church, none of the people seemed to notice you were there. You knelt in front of the man lying on the floor and slowly lifted his head, gasping when you saw a young man with a thin moustache and mismatched eyes looking back at you. It was Copia. You held his beaten and bruised face gently: one eye was blackened and slightly swollen and his bottom lip was swollen and bleeding. You felt yourself about to cry as he looked back into your eyes, could he see you? You moved one hand to his forehead and pushed a loose strand of black hair from his face, pressing a small, gentle kiss to his forehead. "Are you an angel?" He whispered, his voice almost sounded the same, but not as husky. You looked at him once again and smiled with a shake of your head. "Then what are you? Am I to die?" Another shake of your head. "No. Not here. Not now." You whispered back to him, he simply nodded and closed his eyes, you noticed a tear roll down his cheek as he bowed his head. You pressed another kiss to his hair and put your hands in his, causing him to look at you once again. "What have they done to you, Copia?" His eyes now widened in shock and confusion when you said his name. "I... How do you know my name?" He asked, however you didn't have time to reply. The two masked men stooped down and took hold of him under his arms, pulling him to his feet again. One of the men violently struck him across the face, causing you to gasp and look away. The strong smell of blood filled your nostrils, causing your stomach to churn. "If you cannot control your hands, Copia. We will have to restrain them." The woman said as she walked to the large black curtain and pulled a chord. You gasped as it fell to the ground, revealing a huge wooden crucifix. As it was loerred to the ground, you heard the clanging of nails and a hammer. "No!" You screamed as you ran forward and attempted to strike one of the men on the back, however something blocked you from proceeding further, as though a sheet of glass was in front of you. You banged on the unseen barrier, screaming as they dragged him towards the cross. As they held him down, they removed his clothes, leaving him utterly naked to their eyes. The elderly Priest merely sat on the bench, watching on as Copia was laid down. "Copia!" You screamed again, crying as the hammer was raised into the air and slammed down onto the nail, sending it pressing into Copia's left palm. His screams of agony filled your ears, causing you to cry more as you banged on the barrier. Everything seemed to fall silent, with all you could hear being the muffled sounds of the metallic banging and Copia's agonised screams. You knew you were screaming his name, but you couldn't hear your own voice. When everything fell silent, you dropped to your knees and let your hand slowly fall down the barrier as you watched the enormous crucifix be raised until Copia was overlooking the entire church, blood ran from his palms, down his wrists and bare arms. His bare feet bled down the wooden pole and his his naked stomach and chest seemed to shiver in the cold. His head, bowed as he cried in pain, did not lift when his eyes met yours, they were half-lidded and seemed dull. "I cried, I prayed. Mon dieu." Copia said, causing you to look to your side, seeing Copia standing, looking at his younger, naked self. "Crucified, like my Saviour." You looked back at the younger Copia, seeing the scene now fading, like paper burning in a fire. His eyes remained locked on yours until he faded completely, leaving yourself and Copia sitting in the empty church hall. "A lifetime I prayed." You looked across at Copia when he knelt beside you, smiling weakly as one gloved hand stretched out and wiped away a tear as it rolled down your cheek. You removed his hand from your face and slowly removed his glove, seeing the healed nail marks on his palm. When you did the same to the other hand, you looked up and noticed Copia's eyes were closed. You held both hands tightly and pressed kisses to the wounds, as though it would heal them. You then pressed a long, passionate kiss to Copia's lips, his arms wrapped around your waist and his hands settled on the bottom of your back whilst yours buried in his hair. For the first time, you felt Copia's bare hands on you. When you opened your eyes, you found yourself sitting back in Copia's Castle, the fire crackled and the smell of incense and wine filled your nostrils. You felt calm, comfortable and warm as you held onto him, he pressed his forehead to yours and sighed deeply. Only then did you notice his shoulders shaking and a single tear land on the stone floor. "No tears." You whispered, kissing the falling tear from his cheek before moving to his lips once again. When you broke the kiss, you stood and took Copia's hands in yours, smiling to him when you led him up the stairs and into the room you remembered. The room was warm and smelt like spices, Copia smiled to you when he stood close to you and moved your hair behind your ear. "It has always been you." He whispered before pressing a kiss to your forehead. "I remember this... beautiful woman appearing before me. Holding my hand and comforting me. I did not know her. I thought she was an angel. And I still do." With that, he kissed you and untied the chord around your neck, allowing the cloak to fall onto the floor. When he undid the buttons on the top of your nightgown, he broke the kiss to lift it over your head as you removed his jacket and shirt. He gently laid you down on the bed and kissed from your throat to your navel as he removed his trousers, allowing them to fall to the stone floor with a dull thud. When he hovered above you once again and smiled down to you, you took his left hand in yours and pressed kisses to the scar once again. As you felt Copia push into you, you moaned loudly before running your tongue along his index finger, causing him to moan as he rolled his hips. As you continued your action with his finger, you took his other hand and pressed it to your breast, moaning as he groaned and gripped it tightly. Something felt different about being with Copia now: as though an unspoken bond had been made between the two of you. "Etiam, Etiam." A deep, guttural growl sounded from Copia as his hips grew faster, his thrusts becoming deeper and causing your eyes to shut as you moaned loudly and latched onto his back. "Angelum meum*." Your hands climbed higher until your fingers combed through the smooth black hair, dishevelling it and bringing some of that youthful look back to Copia. You gasped when Copia flipped so you were on top of him, his hands settled on your waist and he flicked his head, moving a loose strand of hair from his face. A dark, lustfull look filled his eyes and a longing smirk appeared on his lips. "Emissarius, sic et**." When you began to roll your hips, Copia's eyes closed and his bare fingertips dug into your skin for the first time. You loved feeling the skin of his hands on you, exploring your body for the first time. You threw your head back and moaned loudly when a wave of pleasure washed over you, Copia took the opportunity to sit up and press kisses to the centre of your chest, between your breasts and to your throat, sucking small patches of skin that send shocks through your sensitive body. The candles in the room seemed to flicker, as though the energy coming from the bed were affecting them. You looked down and saw the young Copia moaning beneath you, his bleeding hands spreading blood across your breasts and stomach before settling on your waist once again. His midmatched eyes opened and suddenly met yours, the pure white eye seemed to burn with such an intensity you found yourself unable to look away. When he finally closed his eyes, his face contorted into an expression of pure extasy, pure pleasure. The young man moaned loudly, filling the room with his voice. You watched as his face slowly returned to normal, the look of pleasure remained. When his eyes opened, Copia sat up and pressed a passionate kiss to your lips as he moaned once again, his thighs quivering beneath you before he fell onto his back once again, gasping for air. When you fell beside him, he instantly pulled you into him and pressed a kiss to your hair. A thin layer of sweat coveted his body, his black hair looked chaotic atop his head and he was breathing heavily. There was something different about Copia in that moment, as though his younger self had been waiting all these years to show himself. "A lifetime, I prayed." He whispered to you before pressing a kiss to your lips once again. *= My Angel **= Like a stallion


	8. Chapter 8

"What do you mean? Of course not! He wouldn't be so stupid. His predecessor, perhaps, but not him." A woman's voice said, the room was pitch black and cold, you could hear your own breath as you waited for someone to speak again. "Think carefully, now. What did Copia actually say?" Copia? What was going on? And who was that voice speaking? Just then, you could see a woman wearing a grey skirt and jacket with grey hair tied on top of her head standing with her back to you. A deep sigh sounded before an older looking man shuffled into view, he looked weak and frail as he breathed heavily. 

"He said exactly what I told you." The man replied, you recognised the voice instantly- it was the Priest. The elderly man, yet younger than he was now, sat down in an old looking chair with a groan before coughing harshly. He seemed ill, very ill. "That is all I know. It was told to me in confidence, Sister. He told me this during Confession. I should not have told you." With a wave of his elderly hand, the Priest coughed once again before taking a drink of wine from a silver chalice. The woman simply sighed and shook her head before she sat down across the table from the Priest, you saw the woman who was present at Copia's crucifixion. They didn't seem to be able to see you, you didn't know where you were. "But you did tell me. And I cannot allow this to go by unnoticed. If we do not do something, this young man will not learn. This is what we will need him for, after the fool before him makes these fatal errors, do you not remember?" The Sister asked, simply making the Priest sigh as he took another drink. Your body tensed and froze when the Sister's piercing gaze seemed to meet yours, did she see you? "Whatever was said in that booth needs dealing with." When the Priest turned to look in your direction, he simply sighed and nodded. Looking around you could now see you were in a confession booth. "I never liked that woman. She never liked me. She thought I was some 'trouble causer' for the Church. Sure, I may have caused somewhat of a stir, but I always did what was asked of me." Emitrius said behind you, you felt his cold breath on the back of your neck when he spoke. You didn't turn to look at him, you merely kept your eyes glued to the Priest. "I made no fatal errors, can I add? Only in her eyes." "Why am I seeing all this?" You asked him, turning to look at the skeletal man. He smirked when you looked at him and ran his tongue across his bottom lip, a dark glimmer shone in his eye. "Because it is your time to understand. You have, I hear, laid with the Cardinal?" He asked, pulling a face of disgust as he spoke. When he noticed your expression, he chuckled deeply and stepped closer to you, placing one hand on your cheek. "Oh, come along. No need to be so coy. I don't know how you do it, though. That old, ugly face bearing down on you, grunting like an injured boar." The man shivered and made a noise before laughing once again. "Maybe he is hiding something that makes him more interesting, no?" He chuckled once again when you turned your back to look back at the Sister and Priest. "Copia has to be the back bone of the Church once they are gone, Papa. If he is exhibiting this kind of behaviour, he cannot do that." The Sister said, you raised your eyebrow as you wondered what behaviour they were talking about. Just then, the two people in the room faded, like smoke rising into the air. "He won't know, I promise." A woman's voice said, followed by a low moan that you recognised. When a Nun came into view, you soon went wide eyed when you saw her leading Copia further into the office by his belt. He was a young man, his cheeks looked flushed and his hair was a mess. The Nun smirked as she dropped to her knees and moved aside his robes-not his usual Cardinal's robes. You closed your eyes and looked down at the floor as you heard Copia's moaning growing louder, until the woman began to moan too. "Don't you want to see? Don't you want to see how she's making your Cardinal moan?" Emitrius asked you, you merely sighed and turned your back to the scene, trying to blank out the moans. With a deep, dark chuckle, Emitrius nodded and took your hand in his. When you looked up, you were no longer standing in the confession booth, but in the main church hall. "There, is that better?" He sat down on one of the benches and crossed one leg over the other, smirking to you. "Why am I seeing all this? What do you mean it's my time?" You asked, Emitrius simply sighed and rolled his eyes before he looked back at you."What does me having sex with Copia have to do with any of this?" "He showed you his hands, did he not?" When Emitrius asked this, you looked down at the floor and simply sighed, hearing a hum from his sealed lips before the wooden bench creaked as he repositioned himself. "He had truly let himself over to you. The fool." You looked at him with one eyebrow raised to find the man simply smirking. "It will be his downfall, he knows that." "I won't let it. If I stand between Copia and the Church then I'll leave." You said, sighing when Emitrius erupted into laughter. "Oh, please. Enough of the heroics. You mean to say you would just leave this man behind? This man you have connected with so deeply? And you think he would allow that to happen? No, don't be ridiculous." Emitrius replied. As much as it angered you, you knew he was right. You were about to reply when the doors to the hall opened. You gasped when you saw the young Copia once again walk into the hall, his hands were still bandaged, he was wearing a long black robe and his hair was a mess. His eyes seemed more sunken and dark than usual, he was upset. You noticed the glistening of tears rolling down his cheek as he walked down the centre of the hall, not paying any attention to Emitrius or yourself. "Why? Why her? If what we did was so abhorrent why not take me?" He asked, you gasped when his mismatched eyes met yours, you noticed rage burning behind them, mixed with the deepest sadness you have ever seen. "Answer me!" He shouted, his voice echoing around the walls. "It was not your time. That is why." An unusual voice said. It was low, husky and sounded frail. You felt an incredible chill take over your body before you gasped as you felt someone walk through you once again. When the figure stepped fully into view, you did not recognise it: an elderly man, not as old as the Priest, with a bald head, angular nose and a long robe. He slowly walked towards Copia, who glared back at the man with hatred. "You have to grow and lead this Church. You could not have fallen." "But why her? Why not send her away? Why kill her?" He asked, you noticed pain flash across his face momentarily as he clenched his hands into fists, yet soon relaxed them again. Was he talking about the Nun? The elderly man sat down beside Emitrius, who raised his eyebrows to you and listened carefully to the conversation. "What if it was me? What if she did not wish to do that and I made her? What then? You have killed an innocent young woman!" "But that is not the truth. You were both willing. She had to die." The man replied, you noticed sadness enter Copia's face once again when the man said this, before he turned his back and began to leave the hall. "There will be another." This caused Copia to stop and you to turn to look at the man. "You need to grow. But there will be another. When you are ready, she will come to you." You went wide eyed and gasped when the man turned to look at you, meeting your gaze. He had mismatched eyes, too and you recognised him from the carving in the Crypt- he was the first Emitrius. You turned back to the young Copia to see him now looking at you, too. Although he was wondering what the elderly man was looking at. "He will know who you are." He said to you, causing you to breathe heavily before you looked back at Copia, seeing him once again looking at you before he shook his head and left the hall. "I assume you brought her here?" "Only to show her something. Don't worry I'm not 'trouble causing'." Emitrius replied as he stood from the bench and stood beside you. "Although I don't know what you're worrying about, you were right. He did meet her when the time was right." You looked at the two men and wondered what was happening. You felt like you were truly going insane. "What are you doing in here all alone?" You heard Copia asked, you turned to look behind you and smiled when you saw the Copia you knew walking towards you, checking around him, as though he were afraid of being caught. When he put his hands on your arms and slid them down to hold your own, your smile grew when you felt him. He raised one eyebrow at your reaction. "Are you feeling alright?" "It's really you? You're here?" You asked gently brushing one hand across his cheek, causing him to nod slowly. "Oh, thank god!" You wrapped your arms around him and laughed in relief, feeling Copia slowly wrap his arms around you in confusion. When you turned to look to your side, you noticed both Emitrius' were gone. ~~~3 weeks later~~~ You sat outside the room, holding your hands together on your lap as you sighed deeply. You could hear noises coming from behind the door, however you couldn't make out what they were. When the door opened, you lept to your feet and looked at Copia with hopeful eyes, only for him to sigh deeply and bow his head. "I am sorry." Was all he said in a low, yet comforting, voice. You brushed a falling tear from your cheek and looked down at the floor. Copia placed one finger beneath your chin, tilted your head to meet his gaze and smiled sweetly down to you. "She is asking for you. Go to her." With a silent nod, you took a deep breath and started to walk forward, stopping to look back at Copia. "I will be right here." He said as he sat down and drummed his hands against his knees, smiling to you once again. Inside the room, your Father was sitting on a chair beside the bed covered by curtains, you could hear your Mother's coughing Dr within. When you stood beside the bed and looked at her, you stifled a gasp when you saw her pale, almost lifeless frame. "There you are, my girl." She said, her throat sounded dry and sore. "Come, sit beside me. I have something I wish to speak to you about," as she said this, she tapped the bed beside her and turned to look at your Father, who merely nodded his head once before he stood and left the room. For a moment, you heard him speaking to Copia before their voices and footsteps eventually disappeared. "now, what I am about to tell you stays between myself and you, is that clear?" You simply nodded and raised one eyebrow as she smiled and nodded to you. "The cabinet, over there. Open the second drawer down and pass me the Bible." You did as she asked, running a hand over the old, beaten leather book before passing it to her. As she opened it, you noticed some dust raise from the pages as she started to turn them. "I want you to have this. Someone gave it to me many, many years ago. Someone very important to me. Someone... I loved." When she handed you the book, you took it and gently removed the necklace from the carved out pages. As you held it up to the light, the metal glistened in the dim sunlight-she had taken good care of it. "Who gave you this?" You asked, examining the necklace again as you heard her sighing. When your eyes met hers, you noticed they were filled with something that looked like sorrow. "Mother?" "I was a young woman. It was before I knew your Father. I met a man when I was helping my Father in the fields one day. He was older than me, but I knew there was a connection between us almost instantly." She told you, you found yourself smiling as your Mother told you this story, you imagined her as a young woman- she must have been beautiful. "Then, my Father decided I was to marry your Father. And... I had to stop seeing him. I saw him a few times before I married your Father, but I haven't seen him for years." You placed the necklace around your neck and tucked it beneath your dress, closing the Bible before you set it down beside you. "If you love someone, truly love them, I think you should follow that love." When your Mother placed a hand on your arm, you turned to look at her to find her smiling a little to you, her eyes looked soft and kind. "Trust me, I know the feeling of loosing them." Your eyes widened slightly before she simply nodded, tapped your arm, and sat back in the bed. When the door opened, you turned to find your Father and Copia walking into the room, both with somber looks on their faces. "Ah, Cardinal. I wonder if I might have a moment alone with you? There are things I must confess." You looked back at your Mother to find her eyes still on Copia. "But of course." Was all he said before he walked to your Mother's bedside and sat down in the chair. When yourself and your Father left the room, you heard him sigh deeply before he sat down on the floor. "Father?" You asked, reaching down to place a hand on his shoulder, only for him to smack it away. You gasped and took a step back, his eyes met yours and they burned with searing anger. "Do not touch me. Why her? Why not you?" He spat, you felt tears rising to your eyes before you turned and ran.


End file.
